Employees want more female managers, Randstad report reveals

UK employees want their organisations to employ more female managers, according to research by Randstad.

Randstad's quarterly Workmonitor report of more than 400 UK workers found more than a third (36%) think that the performance of their organisation would improve if it had more female senior managers.

But when there are equally suitable candidates for manager positions, 34% of respondents believe their employer tends to choose a man, regardless of the current male/female ratio.

Forty three percent of respondents felt that working part time is definitely possible in a management position. However, when thinking about themselves, many respondents, in particular men, were concerned that if they went part time it would hinder their career.

In spite of the respondents indicating that the number of female managers in their organisation needed to increase, the research showed that 15% more workers said they personally would rather have a man as their immediate boss than a woman.

Only 27% of female respondents (compared with 39% of men) said they preferred to work with other women.

Mark Bull, CEO of Randstad UK and Middle East, said: "Our survey shows just how complex gender dynamics in the workplace can be. On the one hand people are eager to see more senior female figureheads and believe that this would make a key difference to company performance. Yet on a day-to-day level, the old stereotypes about preferring to work for a man seem to be holding sway.

"It's also worrying to see that part time working is a concern for many male workers keen to progress their career. Whilst the battle of acceptability amongst female employees is starting to be won, it seems UK plc has overlooked the fact that some men in particular feel there is a stigma attached to their desire for flexible work patterns."